With the swordmaiden’s free hand outstretched towards them came a torrent of fire that did not end.
Thanks to the quick reaction of Fernand they yet lived, as he enveloped himself, Richter and her in a transparent, protective bubble against which the fire subsided.
Still, it quickly grew unbearably hot and Cornelia found herself struggling for breath.
It was only when Dieter punched their foe in the face that the barrage had stopped.
Dieter’s back and left side were on fire but he did not seem to care much, as he was attempting to stay as close as possible to his foe, while his opponent was instead desperately trying to create some distance between them, using her larger sword’s superior reach defensively as she did.
Lukk was screaming and on fire, rolling on the ground, trying to get rid of the merciless flames that were attempting to lick his skin away.
Fernand temporarily lowered their defenses and made a hand gesture towards Lukk, dousing the flames instantly.
Their enemy immediately took advantage and shot a fireball towards the old man, after which Dieter punished her with another straight hit to her jaw, making the swordmaiden stumble to the ground.
Richter jumped aside and pushed Fernand to the ground, barely able to dodge the blazing missile.
She and Richter quickly helped him up, and Fernand immediately restored their protective bubble.
Lukk wasted no time and ran into the room to help his Lord, who was clearly struggling to hold his own after the swordmaiden had been able to put some real distance between them.
He roared and furiously brought his greatsword down, only to be blocked and redirected by her much smaller, thinner sword, which she had unsheathed in the same move.
Her executioner’s sword had caught on fire and she threw it at Dieter, who made a move to dodge it.
As a reaction, she rotated her body and yanked on the chain connected to the sword, changing its arc, hitting Dieter sideways in the chest and shattering his armour.
Dieter screamed in pain as blood spilled from his new wound.
The female glared viciously as she, in one move, again blocked and changed the direction of Lukk’s greatsword, sliced his face and lobbed two of his fingers off.
As she was about to finish the screaming, raging Lukk of, Dieter threw his hand axe with full force.
But not at her.
Sudden panic filled the woman’s eyes as she threw herself in front of the weapon that would have hit the child behind her.
The axe hit her straight in the shoulder, pulverizing the armour protecting it.
She screamed from the pain, dropping her Rapier and with it falling to the ground.
‘Lukk, grab the child!’ Dieter screamed.
Before she could stand up again, Lukk already held the helpless child in his grasp, one hand harshly pulling the hair on top of her head so the neck was exposed, and with the other holding his greatsword to her throat, drawing the slightest bit of blood.
As the swordmaiden slowly stood up, the axe still fixed in her shoulder, her hateful, murderous gaze was fixed on Lukk, and Lukk alone.
Dieter’s face was one big, cruel smile as he stretched his arms to his sides, as if performing in a stage play, apparently not much caring about his still bleeding wound.
Flames still enveloped him, but when Cornelia looked closer, only his clothes were aflame.
‘So that’s how it is.
I had thought you two looked similar.
Now drop your other weapon, you dumb bitch.’
As the woman’s terror grew palpable, something materialized behind her.
A black liquid started rapidly dripping on the ground from a bright, purple summoning circle hanging in the air.
As the liquid started to move and take form, it shaped itself into an exact replica of the swordmaiden, except it was made out of pure, shadowless darkness.
Its very presence radiated an unspeakable dread, as Cornelia was starting to feel dizzy, trying to keep herself standing amidst the overwhelming fear that the profane un-thing inspired in her.
The shade grabbed her much like Lukk had grabbed the child, and held its own replica of the executioner’s sword to her throat.
‘Rabid animal,’ Lukk spit, as blood dripped from the cut on his face and his two finger stumps.
‘I’ve faced wild beasts that were more inclined to diplomacy than you.’ The swordswoman looked weak, sickly.
It was clear that the presence of her shadow made form was negatively affecting her.
Although to what extent, Cornelia could not say.
‘Fernand, put her in a temporary coma.
I’d rather not get sliced open again,’ she heard Dieter say.
Fernand, still pained and seemingly even bruised from the fall, walked past her while using Richter as a crutch, until he stood face to face with the now feeble looking woman.
The venerable healer met her eyes of hate and fear with those of concern and pity.
‘Do not worry, child,’ Fernand spoke softly, ‘Your kin will not be harmed while I draw breath.
This I swear on my heart and soul.’
Even before Fernand laid his two fingers on the swordmaiden’s forehead, Cornelia could swear that the shade behind the woman grew more translucent.
As the woman’s eyes turned upwards she slowly slumped to the ground, after which the shade instantly disappeared.
And with it, Cornelia regained her composure again.
Immediately, Fernand spun into a type of deep rage she had never expected of the old man.
‘Are you out of your absolute mind, Dieter?’ he roared at his wounded Lord.
‘You would so carelessly risk the life of a small child on a god damn hunch?
I don’t care what you say or how you will punish my insubordination, but I will treat you as last.’ Dieter stood silent, as the flames still licked away at his clothing.
‘Tch,’ spat Fernand, as he made a gesture to expel the fire.
Lukk had released the child, and was trying to comfort it in vain.
She didn’t cry, which was strange enough for a girl at her age, but her big eyes spoke of a deep terror she carried with her.
As Dieter, Richter and Fernand looked for Lukk’s lost fingers, Cornelia tended to the small throat wound of the child.
Unable to look Lukk in the eyes after what happened, she wanted to focus all her attention on the frightened child instead.
As Fernand’s apprentice, she carried alongside her the tools needed for minor battlefield operations and general first aid.
‘Does it hurt?’ She gently asked.
The small girl averted her eyes and did not respond.
‘I know it’s scary to talk to me right now, but I need to know if you feel okay before I can move on and help your sister.’ A small lie, but allowing the young girl to talk would surely put her more at ease, she thought.
‘I’m okay.
It hurts a little bit,’ the high-pitched, frightened voice whispered.
‘Good,’ Cornelia smiled.
‘That means it’s getting better.’
‘Can..can you help my sister?
I don’t want her to die,’ the small girl begged.
‘She will not die, not under Old Fer’s care,’ Cornelia said as she pointed to her venerable mentor, who was currently reattaching Lukk’s lost fingers to his maimed hand.
‘But I will look at her right now, so he can get started quicker on making her better again.’
As Cornelia stood up and moved towards the now rather peaceful young woman slumped to the ground, she inspected the deep shoulder wound, and the shattered armour surrounding it.
Still forced to use the torch as her subpar light source, she struggled to make out the more vital details.
‘She already stopped bleeding, luckily,’ Cornelia loudly stated, so that both Fernand and the small girl could hear her.
‘In fact, I barely see any blood around her wound.
I presume it’s because of augmentations similar to those of Dieter and Lukk.’
While studying under Fernand, he had told her of the many augmentations applied to the more elite warriors of their detachment, so that she would be slightly more capable of helping them, should the need arise.
Looking back at her and Lukk’s shared moment in the sewers, there had been no need to disinfect and treat his wounds with haste at all.
She wondered if Lukk was even aware of that fact.
‘Still, we do need to get this weapon out quickly, as it is blocking some major blood vessels from reaching her arm.
Although I’m not too scared of metal poisoning or the wound getting infected anytime soon.’ If she possessed augmented bloodflow, she would certainly have enhancements against common battlefield-related illnesses in place.
And if not, Fernand could cure her without much issue once the symptoms would start to show themselves.
‘Good work, Cornelia,’ Fernand proudly noticed.
‘I’m almost done with Lukk, but I will have to ask you to refrain from removing the axe from her body.
It buried itself too deep, and I do not want to risk accidentally paralyzing her arm or doing unwanted or irreparable damage.’ Cornelia nodded, and prepared the equipment needed by her teacher.
‘It’s high time this young talent got some enhancements of her own.
We could certainly use another healer,’ Lukk winked at her.
She smiled back, albeit uncomfortably.
He noticed, and his smile dropped, looking somewhat shamed to the ground.
‘We need to get word back to command,’ Dieter spoke to Richter.
‘Whatever plan our benefactor had concocted for this place, it perished in her flames.’ Dieter looked at Cornelia.
‘Ask the girl what happened here, child-whisperer.
Find out what she knows.
Use a different room if needed.’ He gestured at Lukk and Richter.
‘You two will explore this place further, there might be some clues as to the Conspirator’s plans hidden somewhere.
I will join you once Fernand has seen to my injuries.’